


Chase The Pain Away

by gays



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27535237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gays/pseuds/gays
Summary: “Come on,” Karma mumbles gently, carefully peeling the now cooled heat pad from Gakushuu’s back, “a warm bath will make you less sore…”-Karma loves looking after his pregnant partner, especially if it means he's in for an evening of entertainment.
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Asano Gakushuu
Comments: 2
Kudos: 79





	Chase The Pain Away

“Don’t say a fucking word.”

As much as Karma would have rejoiced in teasing Gakushuu and wringing him dry for his current situation, he decides against it for his own wellbeing. It would’ve been quite easy, and it took a lot of willpower to force down the smile and remark that he’d almost let slip. Instead he pinches his lips together and tilts his head.

“Do you want anything else?” He asks, trying not to sound otherwise entertained. The glare he receives acts as evidence that he clearly hadn’t done too good of a job.  
“Fuck off,” Gakushuu grunts as he shifts in his position, but there’s none of the usual bite in his tone, and Karma recognises the wince that he unsuccessfully tries to hide.

“Here, I’ll run you a hot bath. Soaking will make you feel better, and if it doesn’t, I’ll bring you more heating pads and painkillers. Okay?”  
Gakushuu narrows his eyes and seems to look for any ulterior motives; he apparently doesn’t find any, not that Karma had any to find. He deflates and nods his head.

Karma doesn’t stick around for the please that he knows won’t come, but he doesn’t care for the formalities anyway. He turns on his heel and goes to draw his pregnant partner a warm bath. He brings bottles of muscle relaxants and bubble bath from the cabinet and pours them into the running water, checking the temperature and adjusting the tap slightly before setting the stool in its usual place.

When he walks out to fetch Gakushuu, he’s curled further into himself in a way that looks extremely uncomfortable. Karma knows, though, that it puts the least pressure on his back, and with the seven-month bump currently adding an extra four pounds to his front, it’s severely needed.

“Come on,” Karma mumbles gently, carefully peeling the now cooled heat pad from Gakushuu’s back, “a warm bath will make you less sore…”  
“You don’t know how I feel,” Gakushuu complains with a click of his tongue, turning away from the hands as much as he can without actually moving and closing his eyes. Karma can’t repress his smile this time.

“I don’t exactly, no, but you’ve told me at least once every hour that your back aches, and I can see how swollen your feet are. So please,” he requests, holding out a hand for Gakushuu to take. Karma doesn’t poke back at him with the insults he previously would have, for he knows all too well just how short his temper had become.

It takes Gakushuu a while to grouch and complain, shooting Karma an annoyed look as he takes the hand to help him onto his feet. Karma accepts it, after all, it kind of _was _his fault. With Gakushuu now leaned on him in support, Karma walks them both to the bathroom, now steamed with the temperature of the bath.__

____

Closing the door behind them, he bends down to help Gakushuu remove his slippers. He does receive a kick to the shin, but he gets them off and placed aside quickly. “You want to take your- sorry, _my _jumper off, or would you like some help?”__

____

____

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“Die,” is the grumble he receives in reply. Biting his lip to hold back a laugh, he turns to check on the water and turn the taps off while Gakushuu undresses. Once he’s stripped, Karma turns on the shower.  
“C’mere,” he mumbles, unable to hide the fond in his tone, the sight of Gakushuu with his stretched bump and tired eyes almost enough to kill him off. Silently, Gakushuu sits down on the stool with a soft exhale, cradling his stomach as Karma turns the warmed water onto his back.

____

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He takes his time rinsing him off, stopping to massage at his neck, shoulders, and lower back with the hand not holding the shower head. At some point, Gakushuu leans back into his chest, and Karma spends a few minutes with his head hooked over his shoulder, rubbing gentle patterns onto his rounded stomach.

____

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After a little while of the relaxing motions, Karma feels Gakushuu’s head loll into his neck, and he decides that they should probably move before he falls asleep completely. With a gentle kiss to his shoulder, he gently pokes the bump.  
“You should stop hurting mama’s back, kid, papa is going to get it because of you before long.”  
As expected, Gakushuu all but growls and attempts to elbow Karma, “don’t call me that!”

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Karma laughs silently, pressing another kiss to his shoulder before carefully pulling away, standing straight to put the shower back in place. “Get in the bath already. If you want, I can make us some dinner. What do you feel like eating?

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Gakushuu responds with a lazy wave of his hand as he stands and walks over to the tub, eagerly settling into the warm bubbles with a content sigh. It makes Karma feel a little better, anyway, knowing that at least for now, there was little strain on his body.  
“Well, you’ve got to eat, both of you. Do you want me to go out and get something?”

____

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____

Another annoyed glare tells him that, no, Gakushuu didn’t want that, but Karma tilts his head anyway and pretends not to notice the way Gakushuu’s jaw obviously tightens before he rolls his eyes.  
“No. You’ve been gone half of the day, if you’d have thought ahead you could have brought something home.”

____

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Despite the tone, Karma prides himself in Gakushuu’s own language; always knowing exactly what he wants or feels, even if he tries to hide it. So, rather than roll his eyes and demand another answer, he walks over to kneel beside the tub, not minding that his shorts get a little wet in the process.

____

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“I’m here now. I can cook or order food, right by your side. What do you fancy tonight?” Karma reaches a hand out and brushes his thumb over Gakushuu’s cheekbone lightly, savouring the way his eyes momentarily droop as he pushes back into the touch. It’s intimate in the way that the delicacy of the touch is far and few between for them.

____

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Blowing out a deep breath, tension visibly seeping from his body, Gakushuu opens his eyes to meet Karma’s gaze. Again, Karma can’t fight a doting smile. This time, Gakushuu smiles back in a way that Karma has come to understand as an apology and a thanks all in one. It’s one of his favourites.

____

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“Soup,” Gakushuu decides after a little while, after having won the impromptu staring competition that Karma had most definitely _not _started.  
“Vegetable and mushroom?” Karma guesses, despite both of them knowing full well that it was the only soup they were able to make with the ingredients that they currently had. Gakushuu hums in approval anyway.  
“I couldn’t keep breakfast down so maybe don’t do a lot,” he says offhandedly, stretching his legs out in the water, the relief pulling another sigh from him.__

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

Karma raises an eyebrow, “is that why you didn’t even attempt eating the bento I made for you before I left?”  
Caught you, he thinks, when Gakushuu turns his head away slightly and shrugs. The lack of a verbal answer makes Karma roll his eyes and doesn’t think twice about reaching over and flicking his partner on the cheek. While the surprised yelp and resulting glare partially satisfies him, it doesn’t make up for his unease.

______ _ _

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“Don’t even complain, Shuu, what have you eaten today? Your shakes don’t count.” Karma maintains eye contact, watching as Gakushuu rolls his eyes with a pout, reaching down subconsciously to rub over the top part of his bump. He waits, long enough for the silence to become awkward, before Gakushuu clicks his tongue in annoyance.

______ _ _

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“I had a bowl of rice just before you came home,” he huffs, and when Karma still pointedly doesn’t talk, he shakes his head, “I can’t keep a lot down, the shakes at least up my calorie intake.”  
“You can’t rely on them, you know that. You need more nutrients than ever. Are you at least taking the supplements that the doctor prescribed?”

______ _ _

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After Gakushuu nods in affirmation, Karma takes a deep breath, thumb returning to place at his cheekbone. “I know you know what you’re doing. I just want to make sure I’m here if you ever were to need me, okay?”  
Once again, with eyelids drooping but expression just as sincere, Gakushuu nods. When he twists and presses a gentle kiss to Karma’s lingering fingers, it acts as another expression of gratitude. Karma gently bops his nose in return.

______ _ _

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“I’ll make us the best soup you’ve had in years,” he promises, resting his cheek against the side of the tub as he watches Gakushuu’s expression morph from a relaxed calm to a teasing.  
“Not gonna happen,” he mumbles, not even opening his eyes.  
“Just wait and see, mama,” Karma responds, just because he can.

______ _ _

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Unfortunately, Gakushuu catches him with his tongue out and he’s met with a quick, unpredictably hard hit to the head. He only snorts, lazily capturing Gakushuu’s hand afterwards to plant a kiss to his knuckles. The way Gakushuu relaxes into the touch is almost instant, and it gives Karma enough time to bend one of his fingers back, (though not nearly as far as he would’ve dared a year ago.)

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He’s on his feet before Gakushuu can swipe at him again, though both are now biting down laughter. “I’m going to start the soup. Call me if you need anything,” Karma smiles, blowing an air kiss over to Gakushuu, who swats it away with a playful gag.  
“Go already.”

______ _ _

____

______ _ _

Karma doesn’t need to hear the three little words to see them in Gakushuu’s golden eyes. 

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He makes a start on the soup, dutifully preparing everything he’ll need, getting the vegetables and leftover chicken ready. More than prepared to make the best soup of his life, as promised, Karma rolls up his invisible sleeves and gets to work. He pauses every few minutes to listen out for any sounds coming from the bathroom, though he supposes if Gakushuu is as tired as he seems, a potential drowning would be mostly silent anyway.

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He’s beyond halfway through when he’s called out for, and as much as he doesn’t want to respond to Gakushuu’s new favourite nickname, he’s above believing that Gakushuu thinks it holds truth. Karma turns the cooker to a lower heat, wiping his hands on the hand towel briefly before padding over to the bathroom.

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“Call me a roadman one more time and I will permanently immobilise you.”  
It’s more than worth the laugh he receives. Sleep clouds Gakushuu’s eyes as he reaches out, thankfully now looking much less pained. Karma doesn’t hesitate in helping him carefully from the tub, one hand at his hip, the other providing support for his hands.

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When on two feet again, Karma wraps Gakushuu in his towel, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his nose. He leans in again to repeat the action when he scrunches his nose up, then again, and does so until Gakushuu tips his head up to connect their lips. The moment lasts for a few sweet seconds before they pull back and Karma starts drying his shoulders.

______ _ _

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Gakushuu leans into him almost immediately, nuzzling into his shoulder as Karma works the towel delicately over his back, then around to dry his chest. He presses a lasting kiss to Gakushuu’s temple when he steps away to kneel before him, only pausing his actions to press a few more kisses to the bump. Beneath his touch, he feels the response, the small pushes back barely visible against the taunt skin. He coos, can’t help himself, flattening his palm to the swell just for a few extra moments to savour the feeling of movements.

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Only when Gakushuu yawns does Karma finally move down to dry his legs, reminded by the swelling of his earlier promise of a massage. When he finishes drying Gakushuu and has helped him slip back into his slippers, he sends him off to the bedroom to change into something comfortable. Gakushuu does snort a little, but nods, nonetheless. Karma wouldn’t put it past him to purposely then try and squeeze into jeans and a tight shirt just to defy him, but he knows today isn’t one of those days.

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When Gakushuu drifts into the kitchen, dressed in a loose-fitted cropped jumper and sweats, Karma smiles in satisfaction. “Drink?” He asks, before Gakushuu can question his smile, stirring the contents of the pot slowly. He doesn’t have to wait for long for his answer, because Gakushuu takes a seat on one of the island barstools and hums.  
“Do we have any aloe left?”

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“If you didn’t go through a whole weeks’ worth in a couple of days, I’d be able to give you a quick answer,” Karma says, leaving the pot to walk over to the fridge. “You’re lucky I’ve started hiding some.”  
Gakushuu’s eyebrows draw together quickly at that. “You hid them? Why?”  
Pulling a bottle of aloe, one of their last, from beneath the vegetables in the bottom draw, Karma shrugs easily. “You always seem to want them the most when we don’t have any. Problem solved.”

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Apparently not, because even as Gakushuu takes the drink and opens the lid, he’s grumbling.  
“Speak up a little, Shuu, I can’t quite hear your whines from here.”  
There’s a small bang to the table, presumably the bottle being thrown down.  
“Shut up. I said it would make sense to just buy more, considering you still only shop once a week.”  
Karma hums, and while he has considered this option many a time before, he doesn’t think any more money needs to be spent on Gakushuu’s temporary cravings. He thinks bitterly about the melon pan that he had brought in bulk when it had been a craving, only for Gakushuu to get sick of it within a week.

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“Problem solved for now then,” Karma settles, getting two bowls from the cupboard in preparation. He hears Gakushuu’s dramatic little sigh and decides to ignore it, smiling to himself as he dishes up what smells to be one of the best dishes he’s ever actually made, despite its simplicity. 

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“Go choose a movie or something, I’ll bring it out to you,” Karma says, leaving no room for argument as he waves Gakushuu off, dishing up the soup after adding some last seasoning. He makes sure to pour a good amount into Gakushuu’s bowl, a little more than usual, to make up for the day.

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With the soup in hand, Karma walks into the main room, passing a bowl carefully into Gakushuu’s lap. “Enjoy,” he mumbles, sitting a little way from the other on the sofa so that he’s able to lean down and haul his feet up into his lap.  
Gakushuu shifts a little to get comfortable before smiling over at Karma, “thank you,” he barely whispers, presumably for both the action and the food. Karma looks to the television screen with a proud smile dancing on his lips.

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They eat, and it is, by far, the best soup he has ever made. Karma delights in the fact that, despite being given a bigger portion than usual, Gakushuu eats almost all of it without a single complaint. The content smile that Karma could see in his peripheral satisfies him wholly.

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He leans over to set the bowls on their coffee table for now, settling back into the sofa to start massaging Gakushuu’s feet. He’s careful around the swollen skin, though he knows it doesn’t hurt too much. With every relieved sigh that he draws from Gakushuu, he feels more and more satisfaction. 

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“M’tired, Karma,” Gakushuu sighs, eyes barely opening as he addresses him. Karma lightly squeezes his ankle.  
“I know, Shuu. How about that back massage in bed?”  
It’s an easy decision, and in all of his exhaustion, Karma has to carry Gakushuu to their bedroom after turning the television off. Looking down at him, cheeks still rosy from his bath, strands of strawberry blond framing his face, Karma thinks that he may be the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. 

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As he lays Gakushuu down in the sheets, his eyes drift to his bump, swollen beautifully with their growing child; he’s confident in his thoughts, at the very least. He says as much, and when Gakushuu gives him a lazy, yet distasteful look all the same at the unexpected compliment, Karma presses his nose gently to Gakushuu’s own.  
“I don’t lie to you, Shuu. I can’t believe how beautiful you are. You amaze me more and more every day.”

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For Gakushuu’s benefit, he ignores the blush that paints his cheeks and the tips of his ears, as much as it makes Karma’s heart convulse. When pulls away, only to turn off their bedroom light, Gakushuu reaches his arms out.  
“I’m not going anywhere,” Karma promises, making quick work of the switch before carefully manoeuvring them into a comfortable position. With his hands now at Gakushuu’s lower back, Karma presses a kiss to the back of his head.

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“I love you,” Gakushuu whispers into the darkness of their bedroom.  
Karma presses his thumbs harder as he kneads at the dip of his hips. “I love you a little more.”

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“Hm, no,” Gakushuu mumbles back, punctuated with another small yawn. Karma thinks he may have fallen in love a little more.  
“I do though.”  
“Nu-uh,” he huffs lazily, “we love you more. Double love.”

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Karma doesn’t like losing, especially not to Gakushuu, but this is the one argument he never minds admitting his defeat. He sighs, so happy that he could almost laugh. He doesn’t. Instead, he holds Gakushuu a little tighter, pulls him a little closer, and lands a goodnight kiss to his shoulder.

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“Sleep now. When you wake up, I’ll be here.”

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“You’d better be.”

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**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in like three hours and i'm not quite sure what to make of it. is it enjoyable? who knows. i hope it is. it was originally going to be alpha/omega but the dynamics didn't come into much effect so i left out the tag, can definitely be read as that if you'd like though. no comment on the pregnancy details, let's assume it's a normal thing in society.  
> as always, constructive criticism is super appreciated and kudos fuel my motivation. thank you so much if you're reading this far! <3


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